Scan barcode
naereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Violence, Rape, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Death, Infertility, and Sexual assault
batforanna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Animal cruelty, Grief, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Murder, Violence, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
vickydowling's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Rape, Domestic abuse, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Sexism, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Violence
ginandbookish's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is so thought-provoking and simultaneously stunning and sickening. This has been written for the #metoo #reclaimthesestreets generation. Was it captivating? Yes. Was it uncomfortable reading? Definitely. However, this is a truly unique idea and a book that also taught me a great deal. Totally enthralling.
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Rape, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent and Child abuse
dorothy_shack's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Infertility, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Death of parent
theamyleblanc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
*deep breath*
I knew this book was going to be a difficult ride and I wanted to hop on. It starts with a premise so many people are familiar with: "one of the good guys". I'm sure we've all met someone who sees themself that way. It's a hard topic to tackle because some of what self-declared "good guys" do is genuinely good and nice and kind. But too often, it is done with the expectation of getting something in return.
And we see that exact dichotomy beautifully illustrated in Cole. There is no denying that a lot of the things he did for Mel were kind. It was easy to see him as "better" than the men Mel typically met. But his kindness comes with strings, not from a place of love for the other person. He does what he does because he is convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that he knows best. And that's not kindness, that's control.
Without going into too many spoilers, the main characters in this story (Cole, Mel, and Lennie) are extreme versions of people we all know. The lengths these characters each go to in this story have been exaggerated in order to make you think. None of them are perfect, none of them make all the "right" choices.
What I appreciated so much about Hall's work here is that the plot is entirely plausible. I completely believe this could be an event in our lifetime and I would fully expect it to end exactly as it did here. Hall does a fantastic job miring us in the muck that is social media, in the caustic, callous judgement that news platforms spit out with very little information.
It is so hard to change a system that was built to keep you as less than someone else. Especially if you try to change it from within. You'll be met with resistance every step of the way because those with power rarely want to share it. The events of the last third of the book will stay with me for a long time.
Some people may get bogged down in the mystery, in choosing sides and defending a character's innocence or their actions. And if that's you, then you probably won't like this book very much. But if you can accept that extreme actions exist here to make a point, if you can remain objective and look at the issues presented in this story -- violence towards women, gender roles, consent and feminism to name a few -- this is a bold and thought-provoking social commentary.
Please make sure you're in a good headspace before you start but absolutely read it.
Graphic: Infertility, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Blood, and Animal death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage
eviethebookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Infertility and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual assault and Misogyny
nataliehelenab's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Sexism, Infertility, Sexual assault, and Stalking
Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, Medical trauma, Infertility, Mental illness, Violence, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Animal death, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Stalking
astoriareader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
- Cole sees himself as one of the good guys. His wife, Mel, has ended things with him after seven years together & many IVF failures. He is starting a new chapter in a remote location.
- Cole befriends his new neighbor, Lennie, who is an artist.
- Two young women activists disappear near where Cole & Lennie live. What happened to them?
- Interesting plot about tough topics.
- The formatting is unique. I liked the format of first 2/3s, but not the last third. The first third is from Cole’s perspective, the second third is from Mel’s, and the final third is social media posts, articles, comments, and podcast transcriptions. The last bit was difficult to read & follow; it was choppy.
- Lots of social commentary in the book, particularly regarding consent, violence against women, abuse, manipulation. Readers should check out trigger warnings as well.
- I really enjoyed seeing the perspectives of Cole & Mel. Those parts were well-written, and it captures how different they interpreted things.
- The narrative was pretty heavy headed & there wasn’t anything subtle for the reader to form conclusions about within the story. Writing style was pedantic. The execution was lacking. The ending was meh.
- On paper, I thought I would love it, as I do love feminist discourse, but I came away from the book very underwhelmed.
Graphic: Violence, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Gaslighting, Child abuse, Death of parent, Animal death, Murder, Infertility, and Medical trauma